- (1.) The present application is at the behest of the State of Tamil Nadu for clarification of an Order dated 11 July 2017 passed in Special Leave Petition (Civil) No. 10243 of 2017.
(2.) On 15 December 2016, this Court delivered a judgment in State of Tamil Nadu v K Balu, (Civil Appeal No. 12164-12166 of 2016), by which the following directions were issued : (i) All states and union territories shall forthwith cease and desist from granting licences for the sale of liquor along national and state highways; (ii) The prohibition contained in (i) above shall extend to and include stretches of such highways which fall within the limits of a municipal corporation, city, town or local authority; (iii) The existing licences which have already been renewed prior to the date of this order shall continue until the term of the licence expires but no later than 1 April 2017; (iv) All signages and advertisements of the availability of liquor shall be prohibited and existing ones removed forthwith both on national and state highways; (v) No shop for the sale of liquor shall be (i) visible from a natio nal or state highway; (ii) directly accessible from a national or state highway and (iii) situated within a distance of 500 metres of the outer edge of the national or state highway or of a service lane along the highway. (vi) All States and Union territories are mandated to strictly enforce the above directions. The Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police shall within one month chalk out a plan for enforcement in consultation with the state revenue and home departments. Responsibility shall be assigned inter alia to District Collectors and Superintendents of Police and other competent authorities. Compliance shall be strictly monitored by calling for fortnightly reports on action taken. These directions issue under Article 142 of the Constitution. 25 We dispose of the appeals and transfer petitions in the above terms. There shall be no order as to costs.
(3.) Subsequently, on 31 March 2017, this Court inter alia directed that : "We accordingly direct that the following paragraph shall be inserted, after direction (v) in paragraph 24 of the operative directions of this Court in the judgment dated 15 December 2016 namely : "In the case of areas comprised in local bodies with a population of 20,000 people or less, the distance of 500 metres shall stand reduced to 220 metres".;